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 Justin Brownlee throws down a dunk for SJU. Brownlee, who came off the bench and scored 13 points in the win, helped St. John's upset UConn in the first round of the Big East Tournament. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV NEW YORK – Making good use of their home court advantage, the St. John’s Red Storm took their fans for a trip on the 1980s time machine, as they bounced the University of Connecticut Huskies out of the first round of the Big East Conference Tournament 73-51 Tuesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. In displaying one of his best efforts on the Garden hardwood all season, Red Storm senior forward Sean Evans had the game’s only double-double, with game-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds.
“We can only do what we can control,” said Evans when asked if the Red Storm played with a special sense of urgency. “We can control the outcome of the game. We executed, played hard and came out with a win. That’s what we came into the game to do and that’s what we did.” Helping the Jonnies snap a nine-game losing streak to UConn was starting guard and Queens’s native Malik Boothe, who steered the offense flawlessly with his nine assists in 36 minutes of action. Boothe was St. John’s anchor, as the 5-foot-9 junior showcased an almost Zen-like calm as he called out plays on the offense while being the first one back on the transition defense, where he collected a game-high four steals. “Malik [Boothe] was as tough as anybody on the floor,” said Red Storm head coach Norm Roberts. “He leads us in that area.”  Malik Boothe and the Johnnies were feeling it in the first half, building a nice lead early on the Huskies. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV Unfortunately for the Huskies, neither was a factor, as Walker was denied the baseline and scored only 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field, while Dyson languished in the paint scoring but four points and committing nine of UConn’s 20 turnovers. “You have to try to keep Kemba Walker out of the lane and [Jerome] Dyson. They’re two of the best in the country in getting in the lane and finishing plays,” said Roberts. “I thought our big guys and our guards did a good job in guarding the ball screens and keeping them out of the lane for the most part.” Besides controlling the tempo by mixing up their offense with eight dunks and a just as frustrating half-court game, St. John’s, not normally revered for their three-point shooting, went 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, as the Huskies shot 3-of-10. Stepping up his game with both a physical presence that saw him sliding backwards for loose balls, contesting jump shots and making a few of his own, Red Storm guard Paris Horne was irreplaceable in the win and finished with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. “Like coach said, when Paris dove for the ball, that set the tone,” said Evans. “Paris could have given up on that play; instead he dove on the ball, and put his body on the line. That set a tone. I think that told UConn we’re here to play.” UConn’s Gavin Edwards played tough in the post, fighting for position and scored 11 points but fell victim to four turnovers as well. Despite a couple of flashy dunks, Huskies senior forward Stanley Robinson’s 10 points were not enough to stop the Red Storm from moving on. “I don’t think there’s any way we can explain it,” remarked Edwards on his team’s poor play. “We don’t really play the way we should all the time, and it really shows.” By defeating their arch rival, St. John’s is now 17-14 overall on the season, the most wins under Roberts. “The team I saw today from St. John’s was terrific,” said Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun. “The team I saw from Connecticut was not very good at all.” The Red Storm will now face No.5-seeded Marquette in Wednesday’s second round. St. John’s is currently 0-1 in the second round and is now 5-6 in the first round of the Big East Tournament. “Like I said earlier, we can’t celebrate,” replied Boothe on how it felt to win. “We have to come back and play the same way tomorrow. If not the same way, harder.” NOTES: UConn came perilously close Tuesday night to tying Providence’s 48 points as a scoring low against St. John’s in the tournament…St. John’s is now 33-27 all-time against Connecticut and 25-23 all-time in the Big East Tournament…Connecticut has lost five consecutive games in the Big East Tournament. Other Finals from Day 1 (Courtesy of www.BigEast.org/AP) Herb Pope had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Seton Hall built a huge second-half lead before barely holding off a furious Providence rally for a 109-106 victory in the first round of the Big East tournament Tuesday night. ______  Standout freshman Lance Stephenson of Cincinnati was named Big East Rookie of the Year. He later led the Bearcats past Rutgers in Tuesday's late game. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN / LSV Stephenson had 13 points -- 10 in a 4-minute span of the second half -- nine rebounds and five assists to lead the 11th-seeded Bearcats (17-14) to their first ever victory in the Big East tournament and a second-round matchup against sixth-seeded Louisville on Wednesday. ______ Dominique Jones had 20 points and nine rebounds, and South Florida beat DePaul 58-49 in the Big East tournament opener Tuesday for its fourth straight victory. |
